19th Portland Jewish Film Festival
ANITA
DIRECTOR: MARCOS CARNEVALE
ARGENTINA, 2009
Anita (Alejandra Manzo), a young woman with Down syndrome, lives a happy, routine life with her devoted mother, Dora (Norma Aleandro). One fateful morning, the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires is bombed and Dora does not return. Anita is left alone, confused and helpless. But what starts as a tragedy turns into an odyssey of discovery, resilience, and compassion. As Anita wanders the city lost, she finds kindness in unlikely quarters through the simple force of her ingenuous personality and open heart. She also comes face to face with cruelty and abandonment, forcing her to learn to care for herself. (104 mins.)
Manzo, an actress living with Down syndrome, won the Best Actress Award from the Argentine Film Academy for her heartbreaking performance in the title role.
Sponsored by Jewish Family & Child Services.